Plenty of evidence to back new Covid passes
I AGREE that the fact a Tory MS who had taken the day off to attend his party’s conference in Manchester failed to vote on a debate he did not hear, is an irrelevance and certainly not a reason for re-running the vote on an important legislative measure.
Contrary to what Ruth Mosalski (and Will Hayward) argue, there is plenty of evidence for introducing Covid passes. Nearly all the Covid patients in hospital, particularly those in intensive care, are people who have not been vaccinated. The Covid infection rate amongst young people is twice the rate of the general population in Cardiff because less of them have been vaccinated.
The NHS is under huge pressure dealing with the backlog of health concerns that have been deferred during lockdown. Why on earth would we want to stand by and let unvaccinated young people make nightclubs and large social gatherings become super-spreading events? Any responsible government would be obliged to step in and close such events down; even our laissez faire Prime Minister has not ruled out adopting similar measures in England. Far better to get nightclubs and large entertainment organisers to adopt a simple, precautionary measure to avoid the agony of being forced to close their operations down again.
Russell George tried to argue Covid passes would create a twotier society, discriminating against people who cannot get jabbed for medical reasons. Where is that unvaccinated person who would contemplate attending an event where no-one was checking who was carrying Covid, or who would complain about providing an up to date lateral flow test? I have yet to meet them.
Plaid Cymru unconvincingly say this was not a power play. It badly backfired. Rhun ap Iowerth had tried to argue Plaid was opposing Covid passes because lateral flow tests could be open to abuse. If that proves to be the case, that will strengthen the argument for insisting on a PCR test carried out by a qualified individual. It is not an argument for inaction. The proof of this measure will be in the outcome – and our ability to contain the spread of Covid without further lockdowns, which nobody wants.
Jenny Rathbone MS
Cardiff Central
Worrying for our democracy
THE acceptance of a vote at the Senedd, when the result stands, despite knowing of IT problems which disallowed votes, and, in this serious proposal, agreed a very disturbing mandate, is a worrying precedent in our (supposed) democracy.
Will their same interpretation of democracy be applied to the council elections next year?
Propel policy is clear. We put people before politicians so this would have never have happened in the first place.
It’s just common sense really. Steve West Pontprennau, Cardiff
How will we fill the job vacancies?
HOW interesting to see Boris grabbing his self chosen opportunities to be interviewed on TV.
He has his story well prepared I see. He prepared the ground for his keynote speech very carefully. Of course, if people choose to believe what he says, well, that is up to them.
I for one am rather sceptical about his story so far. He has suddenly introduced his “vision” of a high salary economy which of course will follow Brexit in due course.
However, how are these high salaries going to be achieved? Presumably he has a plan. Will it be the same “plan” as he has failed to put forward for everything else he has promised?
Of course, he has equated immigration with low wage jobs, referring to it as “low wage immigration”.
Does he have any idea who will fill the multiple low wage jobs currently vacant?
Would he expect that employers would attract applications to flood in as he continues to declare that wages are rising and set to continue to rise? Or would he acknowledge that the low wages will remain low wages?
One wonders why he has no doubts whatsoever about removing the £20 per week from those workers who earn so little they have to claim Universal Credit, thereby perpetuating a low wage section of the economy. To me this contradicts what he is putting forward.
The journalists who interview him of course know him of old and he counters their criticisms in his usual jocular fashion. They present him with sensible counter-arguments which he dismisses with repeated declarations of what he claims is going to happen.
His track record for actually “getting things done” is woeful. It seems relatively easy to “promise” but infinitely more difficult to deliver.
Boris would be well advised to contemplate the steps necessary to accomplish his aims before making his declarations of intent.
GW Hopkins
Merthyr Tydfil
Nearly all the Covid patients in hospital, particularly those in intensive care, are people who have not been vaccinated
Jenny Rathbone MS
Most can afford these charges
SO we have no spare money to give the nursing staff a salary increase.
I would respectfully ask Mr Drakeford
to look at the salaries of Members of the Senedd.
Admittedly halving their salaries would be a drop in the ocean but it would make us the populace feel a bit better as we owe so much to our dedicated nursing staff, who put their own lives at risk every shift on a Covid ward.
No doubt the next statement will be regarded in the Senedd as political suicide: bring back prescription charges. No doubt someone will point out it is a different budget. However, by bringing back prescription charges a great revenue will be collected, so we can award salary increases to our nurses.
Of course where there is hardship prescription charges must be exempt also for cancer sufferers and all life-limiting diseases and disabilities.
Come on though, most of Joe public, myself included, can afford to pay.
It is scandalous what people get on prescription – and the pharmaceutical waste is immense.
Someone will bring up the argument “it is too difficult to implement”. Rubbish. I would happily pay for my prescription and so would most people. The monies collected would go into a fund for nurses’ sal
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I have so much respect for individuals either in the nursing profession or those taking up a career in nursing. We as a Welsh nation must make sure they are valued and stop spending money on non-essential projects.
G Davies
Carmarthen
Restore recycling centres to normal
AS A SPORADIC user of Carmarthenshire’s recycling centres I have become used since the pandemic to having to make appointments in advance to take items to the dump. I have found it far from ideal, filling my car with items on one day then having to wait until the next to empty my vehicle.
The centre at Nantycaws used to be a busy place on most days of the week with lots of vehicles dropping in to dispose of their recycling.
Once again, when I visited on Wednesday I was the only vehicle on the site, although the full crew of operatives were waiting in attendance and apparently doing very little.
It has been pretty much the same every single time I have visited this year.
Yet, the site has plenty of space for visiting vehicles and as all the users are in the open air the risks of viral transmission to either visitors or staff must be rock bottom.
There is also ample space for cars to queue while waiting to unload.
There may have been times in the recent past when it seemed desirable to introduce restrictions due to Covid.
But now, with most of us doublevaccinated and the rest of the world returning to normal why on earth is the county council keeping these restrictions in place?
It really is time the council got its finger out and restored our recycling centres to their normal mode of operation.
Nick Hughes Nantgaredig
Bowls open day
RHIWBINA Ladies Indoor Bowls Club have their open day at the Recreation Club on Monday October 11 at 2pm. Enquiries to Hilary Evans, hon secretary, email hevans1947@hotmail.com or telephone 029 2115 0572.
Hilary Evans
Cardiff